Corn grader and separator.



J. A. WORSHAM.

CORN GRADER AND SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION -HLED FEB- 8. Hill.

Patented Apr. 9,1918;

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. A. WORSHAM.

CORN GRADER AND SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED FEB.,8,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- WITNESSES nw/s/vroe M MAM/WM) ATIORNEYS- Patented Apr.9, 1918.

man

JAMES ALVIN WORSHAIVI, OF MAROA, ILLINOIS;

CORN GRADER AND SEPARATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. WonsHAM,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Maroa, in the countyof Macon .and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved GornGrader and Separator, of-

the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceedsthe invention consists in the novel constructioncombination andarrangement of parts as herein fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of the application, similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through the machine on lines 11, Fig.2;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation in the direction of the arrow-2, in Fig. 1, aportion of the bran box being broken away to show the details ofconstruction; p

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 33,

Fig. 1;

Fig. at is a top plan view; and

Figs. 5, 6 and T are the respective plan views of the three screens ofthe machine.

Referring to the drawings, 8 is a housing carried by a suitable frameThe housing has a sloping top 10 and a sloping bottom 11 between which aplurality of superimposed screens 12 are provided. The said screens aredisposed in planes substantially parallel to the top 10 of the housingand, consequently, slope similarly to said top. The screens are securedat the margin to transverse and longitudinal braces 13 which are, turn,supported by simila-rbraces 14 secured firmly to the side of the housing8. The rear of the housing 8 is open through theentire width thereof sothat the sieves Specification of Letters'Patent.

PatentedA'pr. a, rare.

Application filed February a, 1917. Serial No. 147,355. I

formed by the. screens and members 13;,can be easily placed into andremoved from the housing.

The top lO of the housing carries a hopper 15, extending through thewidth of the upper sieve, into which the grain to be cleaned and gradedis fed. Said hopper has an adjustable gate 16 which controls the flowfrom the hopper'to the upper sieve. The material fed from the hopper tothe upper sieve will flow under gravity toward the lower end of thesieve. That part of the corn which passes through the upper sieve willbe received by the sieve below, and that part which passes. through thesecond sieve will pass to the one below it, and so on. The number ofsieves employed may vary in accordance with the fineness ofgrading'desired.

Each of the sieves has a guide 17 on the upper surface thereof fwhichdirects the grain which cannot pass through onesieve to a correspondingpassage 18 formed in the front wall 19 of the housing at thepoint whereeach screen meets the front wall 19. These openings 18 are necessarilyat differ-e ent levels, and their width is such that they.

do not overlap. Partitions 20 separatethe adjacent openings 18 andextend to troughs 21 disposed on the same level. under each of theopenings. These partitions 20 prevent the mixing of the grain comingfrom the openings 18 of the different sieves. Each of the troughs.discharges into a suitable receptacle22 provided thereunder. I V

I To prevent the clogging of the sieves by the grain and impuritiescarried therewith, a vibratory motion is imparted to the screens from acrank 23 forming part of a shaft 24: mounted on the frame 9. The crank23 is connected by alink to the free end of an arm 26, the other end ofsaid arm being pivotally connected to the frame 9. This arm 26 at thefree end carries a member 27 which can be adjusted to and from thescreens onthe arm 26, with which said member 27 constitutes a hammeractuated by the crank. The adjustment of the member 2 7 on the arm isregulated by bolts 28 carried by the arm 26,which engage slots 29provided, in the said member 27. Alining with the member 2? is a head oranvil secured to the upper screen 12 by a bolt 31 which extends throughthe lower screens to which it is firmly secured by suitable members 32,sothat motion imparted to the head 30 by the hammer or member 27 is notonly transmitted to the upper screen but to all of the screens belowthrough the medium of the bolt 31. To distribute the vibratory motionthrough the entire screen a strip or bar. 33 is extended from the bolt31 toward the opening 18 of the corresponding screen. This strip or baris secured to the upper surface of each screen at suitable intervals.

The shaft 24 carries also a fan 3st mounted on the frame 9 above the top10 of the housing 8. The inlet 35 of the fan is in communication with abox 36 provided at'the front of the housing 8. V This box is incommunication with the openings 18 from the screens by a passage 37.This passage enters the box 36 near the top thereof and is baffled fromtheinlet 35 of the fan byran extension 38 at the top of the passage 37.The lower end of the passage 37 overhangs the troughs 21 and, therefore,is in communication with the atmosphere at that point. The top of thebox 36 has a trapdoor 39 located in proximity to a bearing 4:0 for theshaft 2% at the inlet 35 of the fan. This door affords access to thebearing 40 when necessary. The box 36 has also a bottom trap 41 throughwhich the contents may be removed when necessary.

The fan 34 draws the air through the passage 37. The current of airpassing through said passage encounters the material coming from each ofthe openings 18 and carries the bran, chaff, etc., into the box 36. Thesudden enlargement in the area produced by the junction of the box withthe passage 3'? causes the bran and other impurities carried by thecurrentto drop to the bottom of the box, dueto the sudden fall invelocity and also due to the eddies created. The housing 8 has anoutlet42 for the material coming from the lowermost sieve on to theinclined bottom 11. I

The inclination of the sieves is such that the material fed over thesieves will not move down until vibratory motion is imparted to thesieves; and while gravity is really the cause of the travel of thematerial over the screens, yet without the action of the hammer thematerial would not descend or move on the screens. Therefore, by varyingthe vibratory movement of the sieves T can vary the capacity of themachine. The vibratory movement also helps to maintain thescreens clean,that is, prevents the clogging of the screens by the material fed over 1them. It will be noted that in my machine the sieves are not movedbodily, thus con siderably simplifying the mechanism and also reducingthe moving parts generally necessary for imparting bodily movement tothe sieves.

All the screens may be removed simultaneously or independently. Whenremoved independently, the bolt'31 must be removed first.

It will be remarked that in my machine a single shaft is employed fordoing all the Work of cleaning, grading, keeping the sieves clean, andcausing the grain to feed.

Although the machine is primarily designed to grade corn, or crackedcorn, or a mixture of any kind of grain, it can be used to grade thecorn, or any grain, without being ground provided proper sieves areused.

lclaim:

1. In a separator of the class described, a housing, a plurality ofvibrationsereens disposed on an incline so that. material fed thereuponmoves gravitationally on said sieves, means forsecuring said sieves atthe margin, said means including frames, said housing having a channelfor each of the sieves, andguides supported by the upper surface of eachsieve for directing the material thereupon into its respective channel.

2. In a separator of the character described, a plurality of superposedsieveseach disposed on an incline, means securing said sieve at themargins, a bar secured longitudinally to the central part of each sieve,a bolt securing all of said bars, percussive means for striking saidbolt longitudinally of its axis, and means for actuating said percussivemeans. I

3. In a separator of the class described, a housing, a plurality ofsuperimposed sieves each disposed on an incline, means securing saidsieves at the margins, a bar secured longitudinally to the central partof the upper side of each sieve, a bolt securing all of said bars, ahammer for striking said bolt longitudinally of its axis, and means foractuat ing said hammer.

a. in a separator of the class described, a housing, superimposed sievesdisposed on an incline to feed gravitationally, means securing saidsieves at the margins, means for imparting to said sieves avibratorymove ment between the margins, said housing having outlets, one for eachof said sieves, a box, a substantially vertical conduit uniting the boxwith the outlets, partitions separating the outlets within the conduit,said conduit being open at the lower end and projecting intosaid box, abaffle at the upper end of said conduit, and a fan near the upper end ofthe box at the bafiie for drawing air therefrom, whereby, air is drawnthrough the conduit in a direction opposite to the movement of thegrain, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. v o

5. In a separator of the class described, a

1,262,423 1 I I a housing, a plurality of superimposed sieves in thehousing disposed on an angle and secured at the margin thereof, meansunitin said sieves, a hammer for striking sai means uniting the sieves,said housing presenting an outlet for each of said sieves, a passageinto which said outlets enter, a fan for bringing air through saidpassage in a direction opposite to the movement of the grain throughsaid passage, a shaft from the fan, an eccentric on the shaft, meansconnecting the eccentric to the hammer, and means for rotating theshaft. JAMES ALVIN WORSHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. i

